ANGLING: Kaveer is hooked on reeling in the big one

“I grew up in a family who wasn’t really into angling. My grandfather took me fishing for the first time, and over the years I developed and perfected the techniques he taught me.”

December 16, 2017

F. C. Pelser 2 minutes read

Armed with a fishing rod and handmade bait in a tackle box, you would probably find 35-year-old champion angler, Kaveer Singh, next to the riverbank surrounded by friends.

Born in Dannhauser, Kaveer grew up in Newcastle. Here he would go fishing with his late grandfather; the man he called his mentor.

“I grew up in a family who wasn’t really into angling. My grandfather took me fishing for the first time, and over the years I developed and perfected the techniques he taught me.”

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Kaveer developed a love for sport early on. Even though he is as at home on the rugby field or on horseback as he is standing next to the river, the passion he has for angling quickly turned his hobby into his favourite sport. As a very competitive angler, it is the social aspect of angling which is most important to him.

“When we compete we do it as a team and for the glory of the club,” said Kaveer, when asked about competing in tournaments.

As role models, Kaveer credits Monty Slabbert and Matthew Shunmugam as two of his biggest inspirations, mentors and teammates from the Breakwaters Angling club; his home away from home and one of the oldest successful angling clubs in Northern KwaZulu-Natal.

Hard work and a great knowledge about the ecosystem brought him far in his career. Kaveer said his greatest achievement was being a part of the formation of the APL (Anglers Professional League), catching a 21 kilogramme carp out of polluted river and catching a 21 kilogram carp out of our polluted river, a task many deemed as impossible.

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Kaveer also said he is very proud of his achievements of being angler of the year, not only for Breakwaters but also for the APL.

When he is not at his favourite angling spot at ‘The Weir’ in Lennoxton, you can find this businessman at his family’s business Print Inn, where he has been working for almost 17 years.

Kaveer is also hard at work on opening his own angling bait business and teaching and mentoring other people who are interested in taking up angling.

“Concentration, dedication and commitment to your club and to yourself” are the rules Kaveer lives by and the legacy he would love to leave for future anglers.